While user interfaces are vastly more user-friendly now than in recent years, the current television navigation systems are still too cumbersome, poorly organized, and tend to overwhelm a viewer with too much irrelevant information and not enough useful information. Current systems often require too many manipulations of remote control buttons to accomplish simple tasks. Because of this unnecessary complexity many people will not be able to gain access to the vast array of interactive television available now and in the future.
Cable and satellite television providers and the telecommunication industry have taken advantage of computer and communication advancements by providing an ever-increasing array of services to their customers. Primarily, recent advancements in fiber optic and digital transmission technology have enabled the television provider industry to increase channel capacity and provide some degree of interactive television service. This advancement is due in large part to the industry combining the processing power of a computer in the form of a cable set-top-box and cable's large capacity to carry information. Such cable boxes have successfully been used by the industry to provide both a greater selection of channels and some degree of interactivity. However, today's on-screen applications are often non-intuitive, clumsy or difficulty to operate.